– My Favourite Nikon Pancake Lens + 40mm Portraits

Qu. Looking for the ultimate small lens for your Nikon camera?

My Favourite Nikon Pancake Lens

As “Mr Leica” I use Leica cameras for my photography but I also enjoy other film camera brands too. For each camera I try to discover the best lenses I can and here I cover my favourite Nikon pancake lens. The Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL II that I bought to use on my Nikon film cameras.

Small Lenses for Nikon Cameras

Are you looking for a small lens for your Nikon camera? Previously I used Nikon cameras before moving to Leica so I have collected quite a few nice Nikon F mount lenses, both Nikkor brand and other from other manufacturers. After getting used to the often very compact Leica M mount lenses, when I came to packing lightweight for a Nikon camera it was not so easy. My smallest Nikon F mount lens at the time was the Nikkor 50mm f1.4D. When I bought this Nikkor lens in my Nikon D800 period I liked the lens and used it a lot for wedding photography.

Leica M Mount Lens Effect

A few years later I bought my first Leica camera, a Leica M9. Having got accustomed to using various Leica M mount lenses and at the time none of the lenses were actually Leica brand I as couldn’t afford Leica glass! Instead I opted for Voigtlander and Zeiss Leica M lenses and loved the results. Coming from these lenses back to the Nikkor 50/1.4D lens, the 50mm Nikon lens on the D800 suddenly seemed too soft to use at f1.4.

The Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 Pancake Lens

After wanting to find a replacement for my 50mm f1.4 Nikkor I started my online research. I was looking for a small form decent optics Nikon mount lens in the ‘normal’ focal length range (usually around 50mm). After much reading I discovered the Nikon mount Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL II prime lens. It is a pancake lens so makes a Nikon DSLR / SLR look very compact when compared to standard lenses. I had a Nikkor 35mm f1.4 G lens which I had bought for wedding photography but it was huge in comparison. From day one I loved the super sharp results of the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 lens, even at f2. The poor 50mm f1.4D has never been used since! Please note that Voigtlander lenses like the Zeiss lenses for Nikon are manual focus. Don’t buy a Voigtlander 40f2 Ultron if you are hoping to use autofocus mode.

Nikon Film Cameras

Although I rarely use the digital Nikon D800 camera now I do enjoy the Nikon film cameras. My oldest is a Nikon FM SLR followed by the more automated Nikon F4. My most recent purchase is the later Nikon F5 model (see F5 review posted yesterday). Owning these cameras means I still get to enjoy the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 pancake lens. It is great if I want to pack light or perhaps want that slightly wider 40mm focal length.

Voigtlander Ultron 40mm Portraits

Digital Photos – Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2

Film Photos – Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2

Recommended!

If you are a Nikon photographer happy with manual focus and are on the market for a compact sharp lens, look no further! I rate the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f2 SL II lens (and I use nice lenses from the likes of Leica APO/ ASPH, Zeiss, Fujion and others)